Eugene Regional Breakdown
The Oregon Ducks get the number eleven spot in the tournament and host Mississippi State, BYU and Portland State. The Ducks are led in the circle by the power pitching of junior Jessica Moore who posted a 2.43 ERA and 209 strike outs in 244 innings. At the plate they have junior outfielder Samantha Pappas, hitting .407 with eight homeruns and sophomore utility player Kailee Cuico, who is hitting .308 with 11 homeruns and 51 RBI’s. The Ducks have beat the best (Arizona State and California) but have been somewhat inconsistent, primarily due to defense. To be successful in the tournament, Oregon will need to improve the defense and be more consistent.
The primary challenge to Oregon in the region will be Mississippi State. The Lady Bulldogs finished the very tough SEC with a 12-16 record and ended 33-21 overall. They are a balanced team with reasonable pitching from Stephanie Becker and several good hitters. BYU enters the tournament with an at-large bid from the WAC. The Cougars finished the season with a 40-23 record and beat Texas A&M, Oregon and Hawaii. They rely on their offense and ranked 13th in the nation in both batting average and scoring. Rounding out the field is Portland State, Pacific Coast Conference representative. They are led by junior pitcher Anna Bertrand (22-11, 1.66 ERA) and at the plate by Alicia Fine, Jenna Krogh and Karmen Holladay.
See all 2012 Softball World Series Regional Breakdowns